HANOVER, N.J. – It’s been a challenging start for the New York Red Bulls, but reinforcements have arrived in a big way.
While earning their first shutout of the season on Friday night, the Red Bulls have been plagued with injuries to their centerback core, forcing head coach Jesse Marsch to piece together his backline with those that remained.
Now, just as the likes of Ronald Zubar and Gideon Baah appear to be nearing full fitness, veteran defender Aurelien Collin has entered the fold.
Acquired in a trade with Orlando City SC, Collin boasts an impressive résumé that features triumphs in the U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup. At 30-years-old, the Frenchman is in the midst of his sixth season in MLS, and there is optimism that his leadership will provide an added boost to the Red Bulls’ backline.
“He brings a lot of experience; that’s what we need,” midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. “You can never have enough experience within a team, so to have a guy that’s played over 100 games in MLS, won an MLS Cup, been in the Best XI, it can only help us. We’re very happy to have him.”
His past successes are not necessarily indicative of future performance, but there is no denying that Collin knows what it takes to win at the highest level. Entering a side that has conceded a league-high 17 goals, that experience will surely be leaned on heavily as the Red Bulls look to get over the hump for the first time in franchise history.
“His championship pedigree is important,” goalkeeper Luis Robles told NewYorkRedBulls.com “There aren’t too many guys on this team—I know Kyle Reynish won MLS cup—that have won titles. Obviously the Supporters’ Shield was a huge step forward for us from a championship experience standpoint, but we’re looking to do some big things, whether that’s in the U.S. Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, and in the post season.
“I know he’s very vocal, so that’s something we look forward to having back there. He also brings a physical presence, and once we get Gideon [Baah] and [Ronald] Zubar in a rhythm, it will be a very difficult pairing to deal with.”
Without a preseason under his belt, Collin will have some catching up to do in order to adjust to New York’s unique style of play. However, the Red Bulls have welcomed their newest teammate with open arms as they look to right the ship.
“We have to get him acclimated not only to the way we play, but also within the group,” Kljestan added. “We’re very welcoming as a group, very open to having new guys here as long as they’re willing to work and learn; he’ll do just fine. But it’s up to him to put himself out there, to get to know the team, and to try to help us. I think he’ll do that; he seems to have good character.”
From a tactics standpoint, Marsch showed little concern that Collin would be able to adjust under a new system. And while his staff admittedly had various alternatives to choose from, Collin emerged as the clear choice for his team moving forward.
“We’re just trying to get him up to speed on how we do things here,” Marsch said. “You can already tell he’s a smart guy and he gets it. There are a lot of similarities between how he played in Kansas City and how we play here.
“We felt like we needed a centerback who really understands the league. There were some foreign options outside the league that we could have gone with, and Ali [Curtis, Sporting Director] and I talked heavily about it. But when were thinking of the chemistry of the group, we felt that we needed a guy that gets the league. He checked a lot of boxes for us in terms of what we thought we needed. I think he’s going to be a really good fit.”
SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW YORK RED BULLS EMAIL NEWSLETTER
By submitting the information above, you hereby consent to receive additional information from Major League Soccer, its Clubs, Soccer United Marketing and its marketing partners in accordance with MLSsoccer.com
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Service
.
